In the summer, Duckweed spreads to cover the surface of the water at Wakodahatchee. The Duckweed is an anticipated part of the wetland environment. When the coots and teals arrive in October, duckweed provides an abundance of food. Green Herons and Bitterns hunt right through the duckweed. It is amazing to watch them staring down into a pool that seems to be obscured by a thick layer of duckweed, then strike, and come up with a minnow time after time.

The first gazebo is visible through the stands of bulrush. It is surrounded by an open pond dotted with a few islands. The pond and islands are hunting grounds for different kinds of herons and egrets, White and Glossy Ibises, Anhingas and Double-Crested Cormorants, and provide habitat for sunning alligators and grazing marsh rabbits. In the winter the pond is home to a family of Pied-billed Grebes. Our host lives in the pond at the first gazebo!